A pluralistic approach to psychoanalysis bridges the gap that has opened up between clinical practice and cultural criticism. In this provocative and widely discussed book, Andrew Samuels lays bare the political implications of the personal struggle in everyone that holds together their many inner divisions. Samuels offers an exciting reading of the father's role in psychology. The father, together with all the other players in the drama of personality development, comes to life in a way that makes a significant contribution to current debates about gender, parenting, and difference.